CHAPTER TWENTY THREE.
WILLIAM RAYNER IS ENABLED TO SHOW HIS GRATITUDE TO PIERRE.
Will at once got ready to attend the first lieutenant. The boat beingalongside, they were soon on shore. Their first visit was to thehospital, which, being overcrowded, the authorities were glad to get ridof one of their patients. Pierre was placed in a litter and conveyed,accompanied by Mr Saltwell and Bill, to the residence of Mrs Crofton,a neat cottage standing by itself in a small garden. A pretty littlegirl about thirteen years of age opened the door, and on seeing thestrangers summoned her mother, who at once appeared, and led the way tothe room she had prepared for Pierre's reception. It was on theground-floor, and contained a dimity-covered bed, and a few other simplearticles of furniture, quite sufficient for all the young Frenchsailor's wants.
Pierre again and again thanked Bill for having brought him to sodelightful a place.
"Ah!" he said, "that lady," looking at Mrs Crofton, "reminds me of mymother, and the little girl is just like Jeannette, when she wasyounger. And they are so kind and gentle! I shall get well very soon,though I think I should have died if I had remained at the hospital,where I was nearly stifled, while day and night I heard the oaths andgroans of my wounded compatriots, who abuse the English as the cause oftheir suffering, regardless of the care that is being taken of them."
"I was very sure you would recover sooner in a quiet house by yourself,and therefore I begged my officer to have you removed," said Bill.
It was not for some time that Pierre remarked the new midshipman'suniform.
"Why, you told me you were a ship's boy, now I see you dressed as anofficer!" he exclaimed, in a tone of astonishment. "The gendarmes wereright after all."
"No, they were wrong," answered Bill. "I was then what I told you, butI am now a midshipman."
He then gave an account to Pierre of how he had been promoted. Theirconversation was interrupted by the return of Mrs Crofton and Mary withsome food for their patient, as the doctor had told Mr Saltwell that heshould be fed often, though with but little at a time. As Mrs Croftoncould speak French, she did not require Bill to interpret for her.
He was glad to find that Pierre would be able to converse with his kindhostess Mr Saltwell, who had gone into the drawing-room, now told Billthat he might stay with Pierre until the evening, and that he shouldhave leave to visit him every day while the frigate remained in harbour.
The first lieutenant now took his leave, and Mrs Crofton observing that"Pierre would be the better for some sleep, after the excitement ofbeing moved," invited Bill into her sitting-room, she naturally wishingto hear more about his adventures in France than Mr Saltwell had beenable to tell her. Bill himself was perfectly willing to talk away onthe subject as long as she wished, especially when he found so ready alistener in Mary. He began with an account of the blowing up of the_Foxhound_; and when he had finished, Mrs Crofton wished to know how itwas that he first came to go to sea, and so he had to go back to tellher all about himself, and the death of his mother, and how he had beenleft penniless in the world.
"And now I find you a midshipman with warm friends; in a few years youwill be a lieutenant, then a commander, and next a post-captain, I hope,and at length a British admiral, and you will have gained your promotionwithout the interest of relatives or born friends, simply by your owngood conduct and bravery."
"I don't know what I may become, ma'am," said Bill, inclined to smile atMrs Crofton's enthusiasm. "At present I am but a midshipman, but Iwill try, as I always have, to do my duty."
This conversation made Bill feel perfectly at home with Mrs Crofton.Indeed, it seemed to him as if he had known her all his life, so that hewas willing to confide in her as if she were his mother.
He was equally willing to confide in Mary. Indeed, all the reserve heat first felt quickly wore off, and he talked to her as if she had beenhis sister. If he did not say to himself that she was a perfect angel,he thought her what most people would consider very much better--a kind,good, honest, open-hearted girl, with clear hazel, truthful eyes, and asweet smile on her mouth when she smiled, which was very frequently,with a hearty ring in her laughter. She reminded him, as she didPierre, of Jeannette, and Bill felt very sure that, should she ever havethe opportunity of helping any one in distress, she would be ready totake as much trouble and run as many risks as the French girl had inassisting Jack and him.
"Do you know, Mr Rayner, I like midshipmen very much?" she said, in herartless way. "My brother Oliver is a midshipman, and as I am very fondof him, I like all midshipmen for his sake. At first I was inclined tolike you because you were a midshipman, but now I like you foryourself."
"I am much obliged to you," said Bill; "and I like you for yourself, Ican tell you. I didn't know before that you had a brother Oliver.Where is he serving?"
"On board the _Ariel_ corvette in the West Indies," answered Mary.
"Perhaps some day we may fall in with each other," said Bill; "and I amvery sure, from what you say about him, we shall become good friends,for I shall be inclined to like him for your sake."
"Then I'm sure he will like you; he could not help doing so. He is onlythree years older than I am; just about your age I suppose. He went tosea when he was a very little fellow with poor dear papa, who was killedin action. Oliver was by his side at the time, and wrote us home anaccount of the sad, sad event, saying how brokenhearted he was. Thepeople were very kind to him. Papa was lieutenant of the ship, and wasloved by all the men, as I am sure he would have been, remembering howgood and kind and gentle he was with us."
The tears came into Mary's bright eyes as she spoke of her father.
"Whenever we hear of a battle out there, poor mamma is very anxiousuntil the particulars come home, and she knows that Oliver is safe,"said Mary. "We are nearly sure to get a letter from him, for he alwayswrites when he can, and I hope that you'll write also when you are away,and tell us all that you are doing; then we shall receive two lettersinstead of one, and we shall always be so very, very glad to hear fromyou."
Bill promised that he would write constantly, saying that he should bepleased to do so, especially as he had not many correspondents; indeed,he might have said that he had none, as he was, in truth, not acquaintedwith anybody on shore. Mary and her mother were the first friends hehad ever possessed, so that he very naturally valued them the more.They were of very great service to him in many respects, for MrsCrofton was a ladylike and refined person, though her means were small,and she was able to give him instruction in the ways and manners ofpeople of education; though Bill was so observant, and anxious toimitate what was right, that he only required the opportunity to fithimself thoroughly for his new station in life.
Mr Saltwell lent him books, and he read during every spare moment, tomake amends for his want of early education.
When he came on shore, Mrs Crofton assisted him, and as she knew Frenchvery well, helped him to study it with a grammar and dictionary, whichhe found very easy, as he already understood so much of the language,and he was able to practise speaking with Pierre.
The young Frenchman slowly recovered, but the doctor, who came to visithim from the hospital every day, said that it would be a long timebefore he would regain strength and be able to return to France.
Bill had written, at Pierre's dictation, to Madame Turgot, to tell herwhere he was, what had happened to him, and how well he was treated. Itwas rather a funny composition, as Pierre was no great scholar, andcould not say how the words should be spelt, but Bill showed it to MrsCrofton, who assured him that it would be understood perfectly well,which was the great object required, and that Madame Turgot would besatisfied, from the tone and expression, that it came from her son.
There was no regular post in those days between the two countries.Pierre, however, at length got an answer from his mother, directed tothe care of Mrs Crofton, expressing her heartfelt thanks to LieutenantSaltwell and Bill, and the kind lady who had befriended him. She sentalso man
y messages from Captain Turgot and Jeannette.
The letter arrived just as the _Thisbe_ was ready for sea. Mary couldnot help bursting into tears when Bill took his leave for the last time.
"It's just like Oliver going away," she said. Indeed, it was evidentthat she looked upon Bill as another Oliver, and even Mrs Croftonshowed how sincerely sorry she was to part with her young visitor, whohad so greatly won on her affections.
She promised to write again to Madame Turgot to let her know how Pierrewas getting on; but there appeared no probability of his being able tomove until the frigate came back, when Mr Saltwell would be able tomake arrangements for his return to France.
Though sorry to leave his kind friends, Bill was very glad to be at seaagain, and engaged in the active duties of his profession. Hismessmates treated him with much kindness, and remarked among themselvesthe improvement in his manners, while two or three fresh members of themess, when they heard how he had gained his promotion, looked upon himwith evident respect. He did not, however, forget his old friends, andJack was always pleased when he came forward to talk to him, and did notappear at all jealous, which could not be said of Tom, who, though hedid not venture to show his feelings, was inclined to keep out of hisway, and sometimes answered in rather a surly tone when spoken to,always taking care to bring in the "sir" after every sentence, andtouching his hat with mock respect, of which Bill, though he could notfail to observe, took no notice.
The _Thisbe_ had been several weeks at sea, and had during that timecaptured, without firing a shot, three of the enemy's merchantmen, whichshe had sent into Plymouth, the more pugnacious of the crew grumbling atnot having encountered an enemy worthy of their prowess, and which wouldhave afforded them a larger amount of prize-money.
Captain Martin was about to return to port to take on board his officersand men when he was joined by the _Venus_ frigate. Her captain told himthat he had just before made out two French frigates to the south-east,and the _Thisbe_ bore up with the _Venus_ in chase, with every stitch ofcanvas they could carry set.
A stern chase is proverbially a long chase, and the French frigates,which had been seen to the eastward, had a considerable start of theirpursuers. Still, as they had been under moderate canvas, it was hopedthat they would set no more sail, and might thus be overtaken.
A sharp look-out was kept, and the officers were continually going aloftwith their glasses, and sweeping the horizon from north to south, in thehopes of espying the enemy.
"I say, Jack, do you think if we come up with those two Frenchmen we arechasing they'll turn round and fight us?" asked Tom, who thought it muchpleasanter to capture unarmed merchant vessels than to have to fight anenemy which sent round shots and bullets on board in return.
"No doubt about that, youngster," answered Ben Twinch, the boatswain'smate, who overheard Tom's remark. "What do you think we come to seafor? If we can take a man-of-war of our own size she's worth half adozen merchant craft, though, to be sure, some of us may lose the numberof our mess; but we all know that, and make no count of it. Maybeyou'll have your head taken off one of these days, and if you do, you'llonly share the fate of many another fine fellow."
"I hope not!" cried Tom, mechanically putting up his hand to his head asif to hold it on, and turning from Ben.
"Never fear!" said Jack, wishing to console him; "the chances are thatyou will escape and live to fight another day."
If Tom had any fear, it was not the time to show it. He heard allaround him speak of fighting as if it were fun, and of death withseeming levity. It is the way of the young and the thoughtless. Oldsailors and old soldiers seldom talk thus, and think more of duty thanof glory. For young or for old the loss of life is not a matter forlight talk, as if death were only the end of it. Those that cause warwill have much to reckon for hereafter. But there is no time for suchthoughts in sight of the enemy. So we must go on with our story.
The midshipmen aft were universally anxious to come up with the vesselsof which they were in chase. It was supposed that they were frigates ofthe same size as their own and the _Venus_; but should they prove muchlarger, they were equally ready to engage them.
Still, hour after hour went by, and no enemy appearing, they began tofear that the Frenchmen would get into port before they could beovertaken. At length, just before the sun reached the horizon, his raysfell on the royals and topgallantsails of two ships right ahead. As thesun sank lower they were again lost to view, but their appearancerevived the hopes of all on board. It was not likely that they wouldalter their course during the night, and it was hoped, therefore, thatbefore morning they would be overtaken. It was not likely that the_Thisbe_ and _Venus_, being in the shadow, would have been perceived.
"The chances are that we shall be upon them in the dark," said Jack toTom; "and we'll surprise them, I've a notion. The captain thinks so, orhe wouldn't have given the order to prepare for action."
"I would rather fight in daylight," said Tom, "and I hope they'll manageto keep ahead till then."
Jack laughed, for he suspected that Tom would rather not fight at all.
The watch below were ordered to turn in as usual, but most of theofficers kept on deck, too eager for the work to be able to sleep.